


Four-Letter Words

by Know_Your_Paradoxes



Series: Dangan Ronpa One-Shots [1]
Category: Dangan Ronpa, Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Boys Kissing, Canonical Character Death, Character Death, Cutesy, Death, Declarations Of Love, Execution, Falling In Love, Feels, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Four-Letter Words, Friendship/Love, Hope, Kissing, Komahina - Freeform, Long Shot, Love, Love Confessions, Love/Hate, M/M, Memory Related, Not Actually Unrequited Love, On-Again/Off-Again Relationship, One Shot, One-Sided Attraction, Partial Memory Regaining, Spoilers, Super Dangan Ronpa 2 Spoilers, Surprise Kissing, Temporarily Unrequited Love, Twisted and Fluffy Feelings, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-25
Updated: 2016-05-25
Packaged: 2018-06-06 01:08:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6731665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Know_Your_Paradoxes/pseuds/Know_Your_Paradoxes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Between Hajime and Nagito, there are a lot of four-letter words.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Four-Letter Words

**Name?**

That was the first word out of Nagito Komaeda's mouth that Hajime had heard. He had been passed out on the sand, after a particularly nasty dizzy spell, which had stemmed from the fact that they had been transported out of the Hope's Peak Academy classroom and onto a deserted island for a "field trip".

Hajime stifled a laugh at the thought. This wasn't a fucking field trip. This was a nightmare. All just a bad dream, a figment of his twisted imagination. He was simply dreaming, and this was the dream that would turn him from Hope's Peak for good, he thought. He wondered how exactly his subconscious had gotten to this point, to try and twist his perception of the school around...

But that didn't matter. What mattered right now was that he needed to get out of this damn dream.

"Hey? Can you hear me?" the white-headed boy had asked him, after Hajime had finally been able to open his eyes.

**Eyes.**

His eyes had been striking and blue, almost as pure as the ocean water that lay beside Hajime. Somehow, they were also gray, and they were absolutely stunning. He still didn't know this boy, but whoever he was, he was definitely a sight to behold. He seemed to glow, almost. He was effervescent. It was strange, yet all-encompassing. Hajime didn't even know what to say at this point.

But that didn't matter anymore. He just needed to get his bearings straight.

* * *

**Hope.**

Hajime didn't understand what was going on with Nagito right now. At first, he had been so kind and caring and affectionate... almost like he had been secretly pining for him all this time while he was showing him around the island and helping him get acquainted with the others. Nagito had been such a friendly and optimistic person. And now, here he was, with a smile on his lips and a swirling mix of hope and despair in his eyes.

Could Nagito have really done this?

No, there was no way that this could be the REAL Nagito. He couldn't have done something this horrible. After all, he was the same person that had been so kind to him earlier. He was the same person that had beautiful blue-gray eyes that Hajime had spent more time than he'd like to admit thinking about. He was the same person that had been so helpful during the investigation.

Nagito was not the person that was standing in front of him right now, spewing the word "hope" like it was as casual as the word "the".

His laughter, though, THAT was frightening. Hajime already felt a cold sweat breaking on his forehead. He didn't want to have to come to terms with the fact that the person that had been so close with him was actually the person that had murdered someone like Byakuya.

"N-Nagito..." he said, trying to suppress the panic in his voice.

He closed his eyes, and remembered the Nagito he had been introduced to, making sure to disconnect the one standing in front of him from that vision of him, so that getting through this trial would be much easier, for both of them.

* * *

**"Wait...**

"I think I might have remembered something from Hope's Peak! And... and YOU were part of it!" Nagito had told him, after he had brought him his food. After the first trial, Kazuichi and Nekomaru had taken the liberty of shackling him up somewhere that he couldn't harm any of the others, since he had exhibited such strange behavior.

Hajime was glad that Nagito wasn't the one who had killed Byakuya, sure, but the ending of that trial hadn't been much better.

Teruteru was dead, and he had killed Byakuya in an attempt to kill Nagito, while Nagito was trying to kill Byakuya in order to die so that he could become "a stepstool for everyone else's hopes to shine".

But the suddenness of Nagito's outburst had frightened Hajime.

"Were... were we... were we ever together in school? Like, did we ever spend time together? I just got a memory of us talking together... it seems like we used to be friends. And, all things considered, to me it doesn't seem like that far of a stretch... I really like you, Hinata-kun." At this point, Hajime knew that Nagito was simply rambling on and on, speaking less and less about things that were actually relevant at all.

And yet...

**Like.**

Nagito had used the word "like", but for some reason, the way he said it stood out. He would never accidentally emphasize something like this. Knowing who he truly was now, this was something that Hajime could be 100% sure of. Nagito was a deliberate person, and he would never simply do something for the hell of it.

And, also knowing him, he DID remember something.

Maybe Hajime remembered it too, somewhere in the back of his mind.

* * *

**Game.**

The second trial was now afoot. Hajime had never felt so dangerously close to someone before. Nagito was a strange person. He had pissed him off not too long ago, so, regretfully, Hajime had refused to allow him to accompany his investigations in the murder of Mahiru. It had killed him to see how upset Nagito had looked after he had rejected him, and he had felt bad about it since.

However, that must've been a cruel facade, as he had been conducting investigations of his own.

But, he had proved himself to be a great help. He had managed to find enough evidence to solidly point suspicion towards Hiyoko, which led to the group finding out she was innocent, and had been knocked out by the real killer, so that she wouldn't witness the crime.

Eventually, things got to where Hajime was suspecting Peko.

Nagito seemed to back him totally, which was reassuring to him. He wondered if things could ever be the way they had been before all of the horrible things that Monokuma had bestowed upon them again.

Peko was eventually found guilty, but she had managed to convince the group that she had merely served as an extension of Fuyuhiko, until he discredited her, and made some anguished declaration of love for her. Hajime couldn't tell whether this was platonic or had a romantic subtext, but either way, he knew that for Fuyuhiko, this execution was going to hurt like hell.

And it was all because of a stupid game. A game that had basis in reality, but a game nonetheless.

Hajime couldn't bring himself to look at the execution happening in front of him at first.

Instead, he was looking at Nagito.

* * *

**Okay.**

Fuyuhiko was going to be okay.

Hajime breathed a sigh of relief once he had heard that he was still alive. He was in the hands of Monokuma, and while that didn't do much to settle his nerves, he was sure that Fuyuhiko was going to be just fine. He was strong. He was the head of the biggest yakuza syndicate in the nation, for goodness's sake! He could get through practically ANYTHING.

And then he went home, to his cottage, lying on his bed, staring up at his ceiling.

He was jolted back to reality once he heard the loud knocking against his door.

"Hey..." Nagito said, with a sheepish look on his face. Hajime had never seen him like this. He wondered what exactly was going on with him. This wasn't like him. EITHER side of him.

But Hajime welcomed him in anyway, because he was just that stupid, he supposed.

"So, I had another memory return... and... apparently we really WERE friends... who would've thought, right?" he said, with a smirk that Hajime couldn't decipher. He looked out of Hajime's window and then continued. "But that's not even all... I guess, I must've had a crush on you? Because the memory I just had was of me telling you that I liked you and asking you out? I... I don't know." Nagito shook his head and looked down to the floor, still with that same, now sullen, smirk on his face.

Okay, Hajime, just don't fuck this up. You know that this guy could be lying to you. You know how weird he can be. You know that he's a strange sort of character. But you also know that he's cute. You also know that he's kind. You also know that even if he's completely insane, you'd still listen to him, because you've started to develop a sort of fixation on him.

He took in a low breath, closing his eyes. "I'm glad you got another memory back." That was all he could say without giving anything away.

Nagito nodded. "Yeah, I'm glad too. Except... well, I'm not really sure what's going on with me... do... do you think that things could ever be the way they were? Like, we could be friends again? Not that we have to ever confess feelings for one another like this, but... n-never mind. I-It was stupid of me to think that someone who's amazing as YOU would ever want to spend time with trash like me..."

The way that Nagito said it felt like a dagger straight to his heart. "Okay," he said.

"Okay?" Nagito replied, his voice breathy, and full of wonder and hope.

Hajime opened his eyes again, immediately being confronted by blue and gray and now strangely green eyes. Dammit. This was wrong, he knew it was. But, with his beautiful eyes staring right into him, he had no choice but to give him a smile and say, again, "Okay. Just... please, don't be weird with me? I really just want to see if maybe I can get memories back this way. We're friends now, sure..."

Nagito's eyes lit up like fireworks going off in his brain. "Hinata-kun! I'm so glad! I was so worried that you wouldn't want to spend time with me! I'm so honored that someone with as much hope as you would ever want to waste a second with a vile insect like me..."

Hajime gritted his teeth together. He hated when Nagito said those things about himself. Both of them knew that he wasn't scum, or any lower than the rest of the students on that island. He was a human being. He was just as important as anyone else was. His life meant just as much.

But Hajime didn't say anything in response to his self-depreciation. Instead, he just stopped his teeth-grinding and put on another smile.

* * *

**"Stop.**

"You're not trash. You're not worthless. You're just as valuable as anyone else on this island, or on the entire planet. Your life holds just as much significance as anyone else's. Everyone is a human being that deserves to live and be treated like their lives hold meaning. Nagito, you're worth so much more than you think you are. You're kind, and compassionate, and I know that even though your morals are kind of blurry, you still have the best intentions at heart. You aren't just a stepping stool. You're not just a stair. You're not just a rung on the ladder to bigger and brighter things. Your life holds meaning. Your life is worth just as much as mine, or anyone else's. You're a great person, and I think that you need to start thinking about yourself more optimistically.

"For someone that holds hope in such high regard, you don't really have a lot of hope in yourself, do you? Doesn't that go against your own values? Shouldn't you be putting a lot more faith in yourself? Don't you think that the hope lying in your heart is just as important as the hope in others'? Wouldn't you agree that for someone as hopeful as you, it's a little out of place to be putting yourself down?

"Nagito, you... you're important, okay? You mean a lot to some people. And even if you yourself can't see it, I can. I know that you're important, and that people care about you, and that you deserve to be just as happy and alive as anyone else in this world. Dammit, don't you get it? I..."

Hajime had to stop himself there, before he said something he was sure that one of the two was going to regret.

Nagito stood, in stunned silence, looking into Hajime's eyes. Gray-green was all that he could see at this point. Why wasn't Nagito getting it? Didn't he realize what Hajime was going through? Didn't he realize that his life was WORTH LIVING?

"I don't get it, Nagito, I just don't get it! You insist on others killing you, you constantly undermine yourself, you tell everyone that you're worthless compared to them, and... I don't understand why! Don't you see it? How talented and kind and friendly and funny you are? We were friends at one point, you remember that, right? Hell, for all we know, we might have been together! That kind of thing doesn't just happen randomly!

"You're worth just as much as the rest of us. We're all in this together, and I won't have you die on me, alright?"

Awkward silence and lingering words that Hajime COULD have added in his speech hung in the air between them. Neither of them wanted to break that silence, it's presence seemingly both sacred and unwelcome at the same time.

But Nagito was the one to eventually bring them back to their conversation. "What are you trying to say, Hinata-kun?"

Hajime shook his head. "Nothing. Just hoping that you'd start to understand."

* * *

**What?**

How could Mikan have done something like this? He hadn't suspected her killing ANYONE, much less TWO people. Sure, Hajime had always had his doubts about everyone, but he had never really been afraid of Mikan before.

Until now, of course.

She was currently raving mad, and eerily calm about being accused of double homicide. Hajime was making several mental notes to himself that he needed to be careful in what he was saying to her, in case she would happen to lash out at him.

"WHY WON'T YOU FORGIVE ME?!" she yelled, her hair somehow managing to fly in different directions and look even more disheveled than usual. "If YOU did something wrong, you would forgive YOURSELVES right away! WHY WON'T ANYBODY FORGIVE ME?! What did *I* do?!" Her voice was shrill, and almost high-pitched enough to break any glass that may have been nearby.

He couldn't believe the series of events that had just happened. He had known that it had to have been one of them, but he had never suspected HER of being capable of doing something as cold and ruthless as THIS.

Hajime's eyes darted around the room, looking for someone to give him any kind of guidance.

First, his eyes naturally fled to Nagito's. When he didn't give any indicative clues, Hajime then looked to Chiaki. Then Fuyuhiko. Then Sonia. Then Gundam. Akane. Nekomaru. Kazuichi. Not a single one of them had any signs of encouragement.

Until he looked to Nagito again. Nagito gave him a slight nod, and he somehow understood what that meant.

**Time.**

Time to get what you need done done. Time to end this trial. Time to deliver justice. Time to save everyone.

Everything that happened on this island revolved around time. Time was essential to everything. Nothing could happen without the okay from time itself. This life was made of nothing but time and choices, and deceit. Everything that happened happened for a reason. Nagito was a wild card, but even he knew that much. And Hajime felt stupid for wanting to listen to him.

But he did it anyway.

Because for some unknown reason, he inherently trusted Nagito. Whether it was because of some unknown memory he had of when they were at Hope's Peak, because he was honest enough to reveal his true self, or because of something Hajime didn't even know about, he trusted him. And he knew that it was a bad idea to trust him. Like, quite possibly the WORST idea for him to have. But he still trusted him. Because of that mysterious pull towards Nagito that he couldn't quite identify. And that pull was probably going to set him up for failure.

And yet, he was going to have to follow it anyway.

* * *

**"When?**

"When did you remember this?" Hajime asked, startled by the suddenness of Nagito's admittance. He had to give him props, at the very least. He truly was honest to a fault, the fault this time being that he had just admitted to having a memory about the two of them.

Nagito had a smile on his face as he answered dutifully, "Right after the trial, when I was in my cottage, about two hours ago. I didn't know where you'd be, so I didn't really think to check here. I really hope that you're not angry with me for not coming here straight away. I mean, I knew it would be a big thing to just DROP on you, but I couldn't just let this kind of information simmer in my head for too long, right?"

Hajime was at a loss for words, dumbstruck at what he had just heard Nagito tell him about himself.

Of course, he had always had his suspicions, but he had never really pieced it together until now.

"So, does that mean... we're still technically...?" Nagito asked, his voice suddenly quiet and reluctant, almost a polar opposite to the Nagito that Hajime knew.

"I-I-I guess, but... still... wow, this is really something, isn't it, Nagito? I mean... you and me..."

"Yeah, I couldn't believe it either, to be perfectly honest. For someone like you to even DARE to spend any of your precious time with someone as horrible as me...? I didn't think that it was possible!"

"Nagito, seriously, stop that!"

Nagito pursed his lips obediently, giving Hajime a firm nod.

"And to think, all this time, I-"

"Hajime, would it be wrong of me to say that I really think that I still have those feelings for you?"

Hajime's eyes widened, and he blinked a few times fast, unable to process what Nagito had just asked of him. Was it truly wrong? After all, he HAD just remembered something pretty major. And there was no way that feelings like that went away with a simple loss of memory. Even if someone couldn't remember that they were there, they were still there, a part of their brain forever, and they were just as strong as they had been before they had lost their memories. Feelings were stubborn throes, never easy to shake off, but especially not feelings as strong as this.

"No, no it wouldn't be. I can't really say I blame you. I mean, that's a really... a really strong emotion."

"Yeah, I know, I hate that I'm so weak. I really wish that I could be even a SLIVER of a percent as amazing as you are-"

"SERIOUSLY, I TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP ABOUT THAT!" Hajime yelled, balling his fists and clenching his eyelids shut. He couldn't believe that Nagito still didn't see it by now. It was blatantly obvious at this point, but for some reason, Nagito still acted as though he didn't have a clue.

"Nagito," he continued, having managed to calm himself down. "I've already told you this. You mean so much more to the world than you realize. You're important, and you have a lot of talent that you can offer. You're no less important than any of the rest of us. Hell, at this point, I'd say you're a bit MORE important because you're one of the very few survivors here. And, please, stop degrading yourself in front of me. It hurts me just as badly as it hurts you to have to hear you say those things about yourself. Because, goddammit...

"Because I really fucking care about you."

**Care.**

Hajime should've used the other word.

But Nagito seemed more than content to hear that word anyway, so there wasn't much getting out of it. "Wait... does that mean...? Hajime, do you feel the same way about me as I do about you?"

He nodded, and gave Nagito the most sincere smile he'd given since he'd gotten on the island.

Nagito bounced up and down in his place like a giddy schoolchild. "I can't believe it! I have a special someone! I have someone who cares about me! I have a reason to hope!"

And Hajime couldn't agree with his sentiments more.

* * *

**Love.**

"I know that this is a little abrupt, but... Hajime, I love you. Very much. I don't really care if you love me back or not, or if you don't even LIKE me anymore, because this kind of love is the best kind. It's the kind that lasts through ANYTHING. Even if you break my heart, I'll still love you to the moon and back a dozen times. This is the most amazing feeling in the world, to have this kind of hope in another person, and to know that they have hope in you.

"There's nothing that you could say to me that would even put a damper on this moment. It feels like I'm in heaven, and I'm not even dead! Today has made me feel so lucky that I wouldn't even be surprised if you told me that everyone else on the entire face of the Earth had died because of my happiness. I just know that because of how lucky I got to have you care for me, there's going to be something REALLY horrible to balance it out... But I don't even care about that anymore!

"Isn't that amazing?! Normally, that cycle of good and bad luck affected my entire life. I had always yearned for the day where I could have something good happen to me and not have to worry about the consequences. And this is that day, Hajime.

"You've made me finally realize what it's like to truly be lucky. And to have real, genuine, honest to God HOPE! You've given me a reason to live, and... and... I want you to know how grateful I am that you've given me this opportunity.

"I love you, more than words could even BEGIN to describe."

The two had been lying on the sand, gazing up into the dark blue, seemingly endless array of stars, talking about everything and nothing in particular, with hands and fingers intertwined. Hajime still barely believed that this was even happening. He had never thought that he would ever find someone he could begin a relationship with on this island, much less NAGITO. But here they were, and Hajime was so in love with him that he couldn't believe it. The way that his eyes looked, in the fading light of the night sky, with the moon and the stars reflecting off of them like they were waves in the sea, took Hajime's breath away. It was surreal, like he was living in a painting of an impossible moment that an artist had managed to capture.

He didn't even want to ruin the moment with words, but he felt like he needed to get it off his chest before Nagito began to think that Hajime really WAS starting to tire of him.

"Nagito, I... I love you too.

"While I might not have any of my memories back yet, I... I really feel like I don't need them anymore. Because now that I have you, and if you keep gaining your memories at this rate, I won't need to remember anything, because you'll remember it all for me. I'll admit, at first, I thought you were fucking insane, because of your rambling about hope...

"But now that we've talked more about it, I understand you more. I see why you choose to put all of your might into the idea of hope, and I really truly believe that hope is within you.

"You have no idea how important you are. If not to anyone else, to me. You're one of the only things keeping me sane while I'm here, you know. And your eyes are the only thing I want to be looking at right now. You mean everything to me. And even if neither of us make it off of this island, I want you to promise me, that no matter what, you'll try and find me again, in our next lives, or in the afterlife, in Heaven, or Hell, or Purgatory, wherever we end up. I want you to find me, and I'll try to find you. You have to promise me that, Nagito, okay?"

Nagito nodded, and stuck out his hand, with his pinky finger stretched out.

Hajime chuckled. "Wow, what is this? Are we in the second grade or something?"

Nagito shrugged. "That's the way that I like to make sure that promises are kept. Sorry if it seems childish to you, but, I like it this way. It's comforting, in a way."

Hajime nodded and outstretched his pinky, locking it with Nagito's, as a symbol of an everlasting promise. However, Hajime had another way of sealing the deal on his mind. "Nagito, if this sounds stupid, feel free to tell me, but...

"Can you indulge in MY way of keeping promises?"

"What would that entail?"

"Do you mind if I show you?"

Nagito shook his head. "As long as you want it, I'm totally okay with whatever it may be."

Hajime felt heat slowly rising to his cheeks as he inched his way closer to Nagito. He was so nervous and excited at the same time for this moment that he couldn't even form coherent thoughts.

Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, Nagito had managed to close the gap between them, and his hand was on Hajime's cheek.

The kiss was everything that Hajime had imagined it would be. It wasn't the PERFECT kiss, but no kiss ever WAS. Nagito felt cold, but compared to Hajime's natural radiance of heat, the balance was just fine. Nagito's lips were soft, and Hajime could feel himself melting into the kiss as it continued. It lasted just the right amount of time, if not a little longer. It felt like fireworks and fresh beginnings, and it felt like some of the neurons in Hajime's brain were working towards a memory.

Unfortunately, that memory didn't come after all.

"Wow, that was my first kiss! At least, that I remember! W-Well, actually... never mind, I forgot to mention that part of the whole 'boyfriend' memory... oh, well, I mean, it was still special to me."

Hajime nodded. It was a real, honest to God, genuine kiss. The first of which he could actually remember receiving as well.

**Kiss.**

"C-Can I kiss you again?" he asked sheepishly.

Nagito closed the gap between them once again as his answer.

* * *

**"Date?"**

Nagito looked startled once the word came out of Hajime's mouth.

"Uh, w-well... we can't exactly go anywhere while we're still stuck in this stupid Funhouse."

Hajime shook his head. "No, no, I meant once we get out of here, like... we could go on a date together. A real, genuine, first date. I mean, that's what couples do, right? They kiss, hold hands, talk about their feelings, go out together, and then once they get older, they get married or something. I don't know... but that's not the subject. What I was asking is if you wanted to go on a date with me."

Nagito still looked a bit discombobulated, but he gave timid nods of approval. "Y-Yeah, that sounds... nice, I guess. I-I'm sorry if I sound really stressed out, or if I sound scared, or... whatever I sound like to you right now, but, I'm a little... shaken. I mean, I reached the Final Dead Room today, and... I'm not sure what to think..."

Hajime couldn't believe what he had just heard Nagito say. "Holy shit! You did? Why didn't you tell me that earlier?! That's awesome!

"Wait..." he thought about it for a second, then slowly came to realize what Nagito had to have went through in order to have gotten into the Final Dead Room. He gave a halfhearted punch in Nagito's direction as he reprimanded him. "You fucking IDIOT! Do you even know what could've happened to you?! You played RUSSIAN ROULETTE! You could've fucking KILLED YOURSELF!"

"Shhh!" Nagito hissed, putting a finger against Hajime's lips. Hajime complied and stopped yelling, but that didn't stop him from being angry at Nagito.

"Look, I'm sorry, but... there are other things on my mind right now, okay, Hinata-kun?"

**Fuck.**

This was serious.

Nagito hadn't used Hinata-kun to refer to him since before they had gotten together.

But before he could call Nagito out on it, he was already walking away.

* * *

**Hate.**

Hajime didn't want to have to admit this to himself, but from the way things were looking right now, it had appeared as though Nagito had pulled a complete U-turn and decided that he actually hated him.

That hurt more than all of the past three trials and the countless deaths of his friends combined.

Although, after having found out what Nagito had learned in the Final Dead Room, he couldn't say that he really blamed him.

For all of the hope that Nagito had placed in him, thinking that he was a talented beacon of society, and that he had been born unique and given the power to show the world true happiness and hope... for all of that to just be taken away from him after finding out that Hajime was nothing more than a talentless Reserve Course student, having only gotten into Hope's Peak Academy based on money alone... that must've been the worst possible thing that Nagito could have heard. He had already been unstable, and for once, he had felt like there was something in his life worth putting his all into. For all of that to be pulled out from under him so unceremoniously, that must've taken its toll on his psyche.

And now here he was, insulting Hajime left and right, and Hajime was willing to take as many insults as he had.

How pathetic could he possibly get?

He loved Nagito so much that he would allow him to hiss poisonous slander at him, while he stood there and let those words seep into his brain and leave permanent scars on his ego?

This was truly something pathetic.

But here he was, letting it happen, taking every insult in stride.

Because he loved Nagito too much to believe that anything of what he was saying was what he truly felt.

* * *

**Bomb.**

Nagito had planted a bomb on the island that was going to explode at any minute.

Just how deep did his hatred for Hajime lie?

* * *

**Dead.**

There he was. With a knife through one of his palms, stab wounds covering his limbs, tape plastered over his mouth, ropes tied to his wrists and ankles, and with a spear jutting out of his stomach.

Hajime had felt so sick after seeing it that as soon as he had gotten to his cottage, he had immediately ran to the bathroom and thrown up.

There was the first person that he could say he truly loved, lying there, lifeless, covered in blood and injured beyond any kind of belief. Whoever had killed him had done a hell of a job in torturing him first.

Nagito Komaeda. The first person to ever truly hope in Hajime Hinata, the first person he had ever loved, and the first person he had ever shown complete and total trust in, was dead.

And there was nothing he could've done to prevent it.

* * *

**Vote.**

Hajime stood at his podium in the trial room, with the buttons in front of him flashing in gawdy neon colors, like Monokuma was taunting him.

He had already lost the person closest to him, and he wasn't prepared to lose another.

How could Nagito have done this to himself? WHY would Nagito have done this to himself? Did he really hate Hajime THAT much to want to kill him and everyone else besides Chiaki? What could he have possibly been THINKING in letting her live, out of all the people he could've chosen? Didn't he know that she was the traitor?

Or was that the reason why he had wanted her to live through the trial?

Hajime swallowed his pride as he pressed the button to condemn her.

* * *

**Coma.**

If Hajime managed to get out of this stupid simulation, then that meant that there was still hope! Nagito could still be alive! If he was just comatose, then there was nothing to stop him from getting better and waking up, right? He could feasibly manage to survive!

But, at the same time, he knew that there was going to be some kind of catch. A gimmick. Junko wouldn't give them this victory that easily.

He still reluctantly hovered over the "Graduate" button regardless.

* * *

**Safe.**

"Are you sure that you're going to be able to handle the others once they start waking up? Will you be safe in handling them, even if they're still Super High School Level Despair?" Makoto had asked him, taking him aside after giving the usual "congratulations" monologue to the group.

Hajime nodded. "Yeah, I know that even if they wake up and have no memories of the time they spent in the Neo World Program, the five of us will be able to handle everything just fine."

Makoto gave a smile of encouragement and a little nod in reply. "Alright, then. I trust you."

Kyouko opened the door and asked, quietly, "Makoto? Are you ready? We should head back to the headquarters."

"Yeah, I'm ready."

She smiled as Makoto walked past her.

Hajime understood that smile well. She had feelings for Makoto, and that was the same smile that Hajime had gotten so used to seeing Nagito with before the Final Dead Room. Kyouko was just as stricken with love as he had once been. He felt happy for her, and hoped that they could get to experience the relationship that he and Nagito never got to have.

Once he rejoined the others, he had waved Makoto, Kyouko, and Byakuya off, as they sailed away, back to the Future Foundation HQ, off to save the day once again, and fight despair.

Hajime had been much more hasty to get back to the comatose than the others, as he had heard a familiar groan not a moment after he had gotten done with his conversation with Makoto.

Fuyuhiko had led the others following him into the room where the remaining 11 kids lie.

And suddenly, just like that, Hajime's eyes met with familiar green-gray.

"Where am I?" Nagito asked, looking around the room.

Hajime gave a smirk.

"We can talk about that later. But first, I need to ask you something... if you remember... could you maybe give me your **name?"**


End file.
